The Ministry of Defence confirmed that in 2012 seven serving soldiers were confirmed to have killed themselves, while a further 14 died in suspected suicides but inquests had yet to be held.

Although the Government does not record suicides among former soldiers, an investigation by the BBC's Panorama revealed that 21 serving soldiers and 29 veterans committed suicide in 2012.

The 50 suicides exceeds the 40 soldiers who died fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan during the same period.

Panorama obtained the total number of suicides by serving soldiers from a Freedom of Information request to the Ministry of Defence. They also contacted every coroner in the country to ask for the names of soldiers and veterans who killed themselves in 2012 and analysed newspaper reports of coroners' inquests.

Lance Sergeant Dan Collins who survived a bomb blast while serving in Helmand Province in Afghanistan in 2009, killed himself on New Year's Eve in 2011 after suffering with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, the BBC reported.  Read More HERE    


(RG) Sadly this is nothing new and the harsh truth is the only reason the MOD may care is for recruiting purposes, the Government dont actually care about servicemen that kill themselves because it saves them money in pensions, the only time they will pay lip service is when the UK becomes involved in another Middle Eastern Folly.

Family of Wirral Falklands hero to consider seeking judicial review over government's refusal to award him posthumous gallantry medal

Relatives of Cpl Stewart McLaughlin believe MoD investigation should be re-opened to consider new evidence.The family of a Wirral Falklands hero is considering seeking a judicial review over the government’s refusal to award him a gallantry medal. It comes after a Ministry of Defence inquiry ruled there was no evidence Cpl Stewart McLaughlin, who died during the battle of Mount Longdon in 1982, was treated differently from other servicemen who were considered for an award at the time. The Wallasey soldier’s family has been leading a campaign for him to be posthumously recognised, arguing that a citation was mislaid and never considered. Cpl McLaughlin’s commanding officer in the Falklands, Lieutenant-General Sir Hew Pike, has since rewritten it, stating his actions fell “firmly in the Victoria Cross bracket”. Family members say the investigation, which found there was no evidence a citation was prepared for Cpl McLaughlin, ignored key evidence that a citation was written – which they say they could have provided if they had been consulted. Wallasey MP Angela Eagle and former paratrooper Dan Jarvis, MP for Barnsley Central, who have both supported the family’s campaign, have now written a joint letter to Lord Astor, the minister responsible for medals, expressing their disappointment in how it was carried out and calling on him to re-open the case.Read more HERE


(RG) They should do the right thing and award this brave soldier a gallantry medal, but for some reason they wont. I wish them the best of luck with their battle.

e-petition Responsible department: Ministry of Defence , National Defence Medal

It is totally unfair that the British Government and the British Crown has awarded the National Defence Medal to the Australian and New Zealand military and ignored the British Military. The recent medal survey conducted by Sir John Holmes was in favour of the medal award to all past and present British Military and yet the Government have failed to act. They have acknowledged and issued medals to Bomber Command and the North Atlantic veterans. Where is the British justice that does not recognise those past and present military personnel that wore the Kings/Queens uniform with pride and were prepare to die for our freedoms. I ask the Government to act NOW and treat the British exactly the same as the Australians and New Zealanders by awarding the National Defence Medal to the British Military past and present  Sign petition  HERE  

CAMPAIGN NEWS  

Are Army recruits 'put off' signing up?

Would-be part-time soldiers are being put off from signing up due to defence cuts and a "hostile recruiting environment", a leaked document has warned.

The memo, which has been seen by the Daily Telegraph, claims there have been "disappointing" numbers of reservists being recruited, with fears that targets will not be reached.

Under Government plans the regular Army is being cut from 102,000 to 82,000 while the newly-renamed Army Reserve - formerly the Territorial Army - is being expanded from 19,000 to 30,000.

The leaked memo claims barely half the number of reservists needed are being recruited and lists obstacles such as "redundancy downsizing, drawdown in Afghanistan and a reported (if unproven) increase in mental health issues", according to the paper.It said the document warns: "There is also a lack of faith in the reserve proposition in some quarters." The Ministry of Defence has insisted it is confident that it could get the required numbers of reservists.     Read More  HERE


THERE USED TO BE A SAYING DURING WORLD WAR TWO `FUBAR,` I THINK THIS FALLS INTO THAT CATEGORY